Snow removal



Nov. 12,1940.

E. A. SMITH sNow REMOVAL Filed March 27, 1939 I j l 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Patented Nov. 12, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SNOW REMOVAL Edward A. Smith, West Englewood, N. J. Application March 27, 1939, serial No. 264,463

claims. (o1. .av- 12) This invention relates to removal of snow and cross channel strips 23. The upper run of this ice from city streets and roadways. conveyor extends on an upward and rearward The objects of the invention are to provide incline over guide rolls 24, to a rear set of sprocka simple, practical andeflicient machine for ecoets 25, on shaft 26, traversing the upper rear- 5 nomically removing snow and ice by sweeping ward portion of the melting chamber. 5

and melting operations. Below the top conveyor is a second or inter- These and other desirable objects are attained mediate conveyor 21, of similar construction carin the present invention by the' novel features ried by shafts 23 and 29. This second conveyor of construction, combinations and relations of is shown as extending only from the extreme l0 parts hereinafter described, illustrated in the acrearward portion ofthe melting chamber for- 10 companying drawings and broadly covered in the wardly t0 Where the upper COIIVGYOI' deClIlGS t0 claims. the open front of the machine.

The drawings accompanying and forming part Beneath and spaced somewhat below the secof the specicationillustrate one practical comond conveyor is a third, lower conveyor 30, also J mercial embodiment of the invention and with of the same slatted construction carried by shafts full understanding of the invention, it will be 3l, 32, and extending from the lower rearward appreciated that various modifications and portion of the chamber forwardly beyond the changes may be made all .within the true and front end of the intermediate conveyor.

intended scope of the claims. The burners are shown discharging into the Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a machine embodyspace between the lower run of the second con- 20 ing the invention. veyor and the upper run of the bottom conveyor. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional View of the These two runs serve to sheet the burner name same. therebetween.

Fig. 3 is atop plan View. To hold the llame and form in effect a fire-` Fig 4 is an enlarged broken cross-sectional box a cross baille is indicated at 33, and side 25 View substantially as on the plane of line 4 4 ballies at 34, these preferably being faced with of Fig. 3. fire clay or equivalent. The back, top and side The main frame of the machine indicated` genwalls of the furnace chamber may be suitabh7 erally at 5, is carried by tractor wheels 6, and lined with flrebrick or the like, or simply be intreads 1. sulated as indicated at 35, to properly hold the 30 This frame mounts a rebox defined generally heat. by a back wall 8, and a top wall 9, this chamber The three conveyors are driven in reverse diopening forwardly of the machine and having rections as indicated by the arrows by suitable a burner or burners discharging thereinto at the gearing and shown in the illustration as a sprockback at l0. et chain 36, extending over the reverse sides of 35 The forward section of the melting chamber sprockets 31, 38 and 39, on the rearward conis defined by a movable hood pivotally mounted veyor shafts 26, 29, 32, respectively.

at the top at ll, and made up of a downwardly The power for operating the conveyors is supand forwardly sloping upper wall l2, and atplied in the present disclosure by an engine 40, 40 tached side walls I3. mounted on the rearward portion of the framing o A cable or like connection I4 and windlass l5, and driving by sprocket and chain 4|, 42, a or the like, serve for raising and loweringr this sprocket 43, on the upper conveyor shaft 26. forward hood section. Y The burners may be in the nature of atomizers Journalled between the side walls, at the open taking oil fuel through piping 44, from a tank front end of the hood is a rotary brush or broom 45, mounted in saddles 46, over the framing of 45 I6, driven by a train of gears l1, from a front the furnace chamber, said atomizers being supconveyor shaft I3. These gears are housed in plied with air through piping 41, from a blower closed gear casings I9, and these, as indicated 48. The by-DaSS lille 49 iS ShOWn taken Off from particularly in Figs. 2 and 4, have inwardly and the pressure side of the blower for putting pres- 50 upwardly inclined guides 20, at the extreme front sure on the fuel in the tank 45. 50 for directing snow and ice into the reach of the The blower 48 for the burners is shown as rotating brush. driven by sprocket gearing 50, from an engine The front conveyor shaft I8 carries between 5l, on the rear of the machine framing and the gear casings I9, sprockets 2|., for an endless which engine may be the same as that which conveyor made up of the chains 22, carrying supplies the propulsion power to the chain treads. 55

lveyor chamber.

The conveyor engine 40 and propulsion-blower engine 5I may either or both be controlled from the cab 52, at the front of the machine. Controls for such purpose are indicated, but only in a general way at 53, with suitable connections running back therefrom at 54.

The machine may be driven at a speed proportionate to the melting to be accomplished. The rotating brush throws the snow and ice inwardly onto the upwardly running surface of the heated top conveyor, which carries the Inaterial to be melted backward into the hottest portion of the melting chamber. Any unmelted material is dropped by the rearward end of this conveyor onto the forwardly running upper reach of the second conveyor and any unmelted matter from this second stage is dropped by the intermediate conveyor onto the upper stretch of the `inwardly running lower conveyor 30. The overhanging hood prevents escape and waste of heat at the open end of the melting chamber and the successive treatment on the three conveyors assures rapid melting. A downwardly inclined baffle is shown provided in the roof of the hood at 55, and the top of the brush is shown as partly covered at 5B, to protect the brush from heat, to further conserve the heat generated by the burners and to hold itconned over and about the conveyors.

The melted material is drained olf to the outer side of the road in the illustration by a transversely inclined pan 51, Fig. 4, shown as extending from the left toward the right hand side of the machine and terminating short or" the latter side to leave a clear drainage space at 58.

`In the present invention, the iirebox into which the burner is discharged, is located within and forms in effect a portion of the melting and con- This keeps down the overall length of the apparatus and conserves heat. 'I'he burner or burners may be `of any desirable form and of any desired number. In the illustration, three burners are shown (Fig. 3) equidistantly spaced on a manifold 59, and the piping 47 from the blower is shown as including a Y-connection 50, the arms of which enter the burner manifold between the center and the end burners to afford substantially equal length and hence equal capacity air flow connections to all burners. All, or at least the main controls, may be arranged in the cab at the front of the machine, so that necessary adjustments may be immediately made as the work progresses. The engine or engines are conveniently located on a low platform 6I, at the rear of the machine Where, if desired, an attendant may be stationed to aid the driver and in some instances, to attend special parts of the machine, such as the burners, for example.

The-machine is designed particularly for use with fresh fallen snow. 'I'he rotary brush is effective under these conditions to separate the snow into small particles which are thrown onto the heated conveyor and transported immediately back into the melting chamber, wherein heat from the burners is conned in the burning gases held under a certain degree of compression. In this fashion and by these means, the heat is most effectively utilized. A moist heat condition is created which is more effective for the .snow melting purpose than dry heat would be.` To permit sufcient circulation, an escape flue or `passage 62, is shownprovided in the front of the hood, over the brush guard 56. A scoop blade is shown at 63, Fig. 2, having angled ends adjustably secured by bolt and slot connections at 64, to the inner sides of the gear cases. This partly collects material from the brush and aids in feeding it to the upwardly running conveyor. This blade may be adjusted to act also as a scraper to lift masses of snow or ice that may be left by the brush on the roadway.

What is claimed is:

1. Snow melting apparatus, comprising a melting chamber, a rotary brush discharging into the front end of the same, a burner discharging into the rear end of the same, a top conveyor extending from adjacent said brush into the upper rearward portion of the melting chamber above the burner discharge, a lower conveyor operating in the melting chamber below the burner discharge and a bale for the burner located in the melting chamber between the conveyors.

2. A snow melting machine, comprising a, portable oven, a rotary brush discharging into the front end of said oven, burners discharging into the rearward end of said oven, front and side baiiles for said burners within the oven, an upper baffles.,

3. A snow melting machine, comprising a portable oven, a rotary brush discharging into the front end of said oven, burners discharging into the rearward end of said oven, front and side baies for said burners within the oven, an upper conveyor extending from adjacent the brush into the upper portion of the oven .above said baffles, a lower conveyor in the oven below said baiiles and guides at the ends of the brush for directing material into the reach of the brush.

4. A snow melter comprising a traveling melting oven, a rotary brush at the front end of the same, a conveyor extending from said brush back into the oven, a guard within the oven, partly covering the top of the brush to protect same from heat of the oven, a burner discharging forwardly into the oven and a flue passage over the top of the brush guard for escape of heat products. v

5. Portable snow melting machine, comprising a tractor having tractor treads located within the bounds of the machine and a motor for operating the same, an upwardly inclined conveyor running from the lower front portion of the machine toward the rear thereof, means'at the front of said machine in advance of said conveyor for separating snow and depositing the same on the upwardly inclined front portion of said conveyor,-

rating and depositing the snow.

EDWARD A. SM'ITH. 

